5© MAN [Chap. VIII 



Letter 418 second law appears to be largely acted on in all civilised 

 countries, and I just alluded to it in my remarks to the effect 

 (as far as I remember) that the evil which would follow by 

 checking benevolence and sympathy in not fostering the 

 weak and diseased would be greater than by allowing them 

 to survive and then to procreate. 



With regard to your third law, I do not know whether 

 you have read an article (I forget when published) by F. 

 Galton, in which he proposes certificates of health, etc., for 

 marriage, and that the best should be matched. I have 

 lately been led to reflect a little (for, now that I am growing 

 old, my work has become [word indecipherable] special) 

 on the artificial checks, but doubt greatly whether such would 

 be advantageous to the world at large at present, however it 

 may be in the distant future. Suppose that such checks had 

 been in action during the last two or three centuries, or even 

 for a shorter time in Britain, what a difference it would have 

 made in the world, when we consider America, Australia, 

 New Zealand, and S. Africa ! No words can exaggerate 

 the importance, in my opinion, of our colonisation for the 

 future history of the world. 



If it were universally known that the birth of children 

 could be prevented, and this were not thought immoral by 

 married persons, would there not be great danger of extreme 

 profligacy amongst unmarried women, and might we not 

 become like the " arreoi " societies in the Pacific? In the 

 course of a century France will tell us the result in many 

 ways, and we can already see that the French nation does 

 not spread or increase much. 



I am glad that you intend to continue your investigations, 

 and I hope ultimately may publish on the subject. 



Letter 419 To K. Hochberg. 



Down, Jan. 13th, 1879. 



I am much obliged for your note and for the essay which 

 you have sent me. I am a poor german scholar, and your 

 german is difficult ; but I think that I understand your 

 meaning, and hope at some future time, when more at leisure, 

 to recur to your essay. As far as I can judge, you have made 

 a great advance in many ways in the subject ; and I will 



